A Matter of Choice
by sabryna
Summary: Dawn decided to live a normal life, away from anything supernatural. But when girls start to die in her campus and the Winchester come to investigate, will she be able to stick to her choice of normal life? Crossover with Supernatural
1. Chapter 1

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A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

That's my first fanficin English. It's a crossover with Supernatural. It happens a few years after s7 of BTVS and during s1 of Supernatural. I'm really waiting for yours reviews. Tell me what you think!

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Dawn closed her book with a sigh of relief. Studying was over for today. She gathered her stuff and stood up. She was exhausted. These finals were going to kill her. Her last test was the following day and a new semester will begin. Just one little test and the torture will be over. She put the books on a trolley next to the librarian's desk. The woman behind the desk gave her a tired smile. It was almost midnight and the library was going to close anyway.

Leaving Herman Wells building, she tightened her collar for protection against the cold. It rarely dropped below zero in Indiana, even in winter. This mid-December was even warm, but for a Californian girl, it was freezing. She was living on campus at the University of Indiana for a year and a half now. After the collapse of Sunnydale four years ago, she decided she was too young to die. She didn't want this life, the one of a warrior. She was not one. She dreamed of a peaceful life, far away from the supernatural and the fight against the Darkness. It had taken time for her to realize that. When you are the little sister of the Slayer, it was hard to admit you didn't want to have anything to do with her fight. Even more so when said sister died for you. However, the blonde had taken the news with well. She too had dreamed of a normal life for her little sister.

Dawn had finished high school in Cleveland where she had lived at the HQ of the new International Watcher Council (IWC for short). It was a big and beautiful manor just outside the city which was also a boarding school for the new slayers. They were going to high school like any normal girls, but when they came home, they were trained to protect humanity but above all, for surviving the longest they possibly could in the violent life they were destined to live. They were also the guardians of the small Hellmouth in Cleveland which was nice compared to the one of Sunnydale. There was nearly no apocalypses and the Slayers cleaned the city of all the aggressive vampires and demons. During this time, Dawn had tried to stay calm and patient. It was hard to live in a house with dozens of girls, but when the girls in question were superhuman heroes and you are the one and only normal girl, it was Hell! Even more when your every move was watched because your big overprotective sister, who led said group of supergirls, had given the order to keep you out of trouble. That was a hard job considering your record. But hey! It wasn't like she asked demons to keep kidnapping her!

So, it was a relief to go to college. She stayed near Cleveland; after all, Ohio was a state near Indiana. The most important thing was that she started a new life. Her life. Far away from Slayers, demons, supernatural beings, apocalypses and all the things that had made up her life for nine years. She said goodbye to the little sister of the longest Slayer alive in all the slayerness history and hello to Dawn Summers, Californian student studying Linguistic Anthropology at Indiana University, in Bloomington. She had to call one Scooby each week to let them know she was alive and had not been a nibbled on or another human sacrifice to a demon. At first, being alone in a completely new place terrified her far more than the thought of being kidnapped. But she adjusted to her independence and she now knew that she could not live without it.

Sirens could be heard in the distance, approaching quickly. She saw an ambulance and several police cars driving up Seventh Avenue. She slipped her hand into her inner jacket pocket, feeling the comforting weight of her stake. 'What happened?' she thought as she quickened her pace. The vehicles had stopped in front of Weatherly Hall. Policemen were blocking the entrance and stopping the mass of curious students who were trying to see what happened. It was really strange. The campus was calm. Authorities were rarely needed, and when they were needed it was for nothing really important.

Dawn cleared a path for herself through the crowd. All around her people were whispering, trying to reassure themselves that it couldn't be anything serious. However, when two officers appeared, a somber expression on their face, they knew it was serious. One of them shook his head at the interrogating look a policeman was sending him. Girls began to cry when the officer took his radio and asked for the coroner. Dawn felt a shiver run through her spine. She had not been this close to death for months now.

Understanding she had no reason to stay, she walked back and went home. She lived in one of the apartments in the Ashton residence with five other students. They were doubling up in the three bedroom apartment. Kathleen, Amanda and Chloe were watching the TV and welcomed her when she entered.

"How was studying?" Amanda asked.

The small red headed girl was studying philosophy. She was always joyful and her brown eyes were sparkling. She shared a room with of Dawn. All the girls started school at the same time. They were really different but they got along very well. Kathleen was a tall and slender brunette who lived for sports. She was strict and authoritarian and was the group dietician. Chloe wanted to be a journalist. At first sight, she appeared shy and reserved with her long blond hair, her pale complexion, but she hid a fierce determination and an irritating stubbornness. Two girls were absents: Sandra Lee, a young Asian painter who was kind and dreamy – except when she was painting – and Karen, an African-American, future lawyer, and was always partying.

Dawn took of her shoes and her jacket as she entered the room

"Someone's dead," she said.

All three girls turned their head towards her, giving her all their attention.

"Are you kidding?" Chloe asked.

"I wish. The cops were there. An officer called the coroner. If the victim was alive, he wouldn't have done that."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. We'll see tomorrow in the newspaper. I am exhausted so I'm going to hit the sack. Night guys!"

She went in her bedroom, changed in her nightclothes, prepared her bag for the following day and slid under the covers. Like every night, she kissed the portrait of her sister that sat on her nightstand, hoping that Buffy wouldn't die tonight. She set her alarm and quickly fell asleep.

µ

David Guetta's latest song was resonating in the living room while on the floor, Kathleen was doing stomach exercises. Chloe was sitting at the table, eating while studying. Sandra was in the bathroom. Dawn helped herself a cup of coffee, thinking of the exam she had to take in an hour. She was reminding herself of her lesson. In four hours, the semester will be over. Just one little exam first. Then, she will go back to Cleveland for Christmas before coming home for New Year's Eve.

Kathleen finished her exercises and stood up, putting away her foam-rubber mattress. A groan was heard from the corridor and Karen appeared, disheveled and obviously exhausted. Only her eyes seemed awake and were flaring with anger. Without a word, she walked to the hi-fi and turned it off before facing her roommates.

"It's eight am for God's sake!"

"So what?" Kathleen asked.

Dawn and Chloe shared a look full of meaning: it was time to run. They were used to this scene. It was the same, nearly every morning. Kathleen, sportive, will get up early, turn on the music and do exercises. This annoyed Karen, the party animal, who had only been sleeping for a couple of hours. And they will fight, before making up a few hours later.

"They're arguing again?" Sandra asked, entering in the room.

She already knew the answer. The African-American glared at her.

"Some people sleep in the morning!"

"And others wake up early because they have a class. It's sooo unfair!" Chloe complained.

Dawn laughed at this. The door opened and Amanda entered, livid.

"Debbie's dead."

That killed the mood instantly.

"Debbie? Debbie Claymore?" Karen asked, wide awake now.

"Yeah."

The redhead threw the newspaper on the table. The youngest Summers took it and read. On the front page, there was a photograph of the building where a stretcher was leaving. Debbie. In the bottom right corner, a portrait of the young woman was printed, chubby and full of life. Dawn rapidly read the article. It seemed that Debbie killed herself. According to the police, she had taken sleeping pills before drowning herself in the bathtub. She lived in one of the individual apartments alone. Karen snatched the newspaper out of Dawn's hands. Reading it, her face contorted into a grimace.

"This is bullshit! She would never have killed herself!"

"These things happen Karen," Chloe said softly, putting a hand on her roommate.

But Karen freed herself abruptly.

"No! She was one of my friends! She loves life! Loved. She would never ever kill herself. I saw her yesterday at this party. She was with Henry but she decided to leave early because of an exam she had today."

The students did not know what to say. They didn't know Debbie, but Karen and she had classes together. Dawn watched the hour. She would have liked to have stayed for her friend but she could not be late to her exam. Debbie's death was strange but, like Chloe said, these things happened. Who could say that they really knew a person? University was stressful. Some gave up. Rare were the ones who killed themselves. But, it did happen.

"I'm sorry guys but I have to go."

"No problem Dawn," answered Kathleen. "Good luck for your exam."

"Thanks!"

She took her coat and her bag and left. Passing by Debbie's apartment, she saw a little altar had been set. A portrait of Debbie smiled at the by-passers while flowers piled up around. It was sad, yes, but death was a part of life. It was a rough lesson she had learned a long time ago. She buried Debbie's suicide in a corner of her mind and concentrate on her exam.


	2. Chapter 2

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A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Thank you for all the reviews ! I hope you will like the rest of the fic as much. I'm leaving on holidays for a week so there will not be an update since then at least.

Enjoy!

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With a sigh of relief, Dawn closed the door of the apartment behind her, letting her bag fell on the floor. She groped in the dark until she found the switch. She called for someone, but nobody was home. She had just come back from Cleveland where she had stayed during Christmas. She leaned against the door, savoring the silence. Nobody really understood that it was something precious and rare. And when you just stayed the last four days in a house inhabited by about twenty superhuman teenage girls who needed to sleep for only five or six hours a day, silence was an unknown notion and deserved to be appreciated when we could.

She had left for Cleveland just after her exam. It took her a full day of driving to reach the house. She could have easily taken a plane but she hated them. They said that, statistically, it was the safest means of transportation, but too many planes were crashing around these days. At least, in a car crash, you had a chance to survive. If your plane crashes, only a miracle could save you. And she loved driving. Unlike Buffy, she was an attentive and relaxed driver. The Slayer was a disaster behind the wheel.

In all, she had been in Cleveland for six days. Initially, she had planned to stay longer but Giles discovered an apocalypse. The Scooby Gang had preferred to have her out of danger, away from the Hellmouth, and Dawn didn't contradict them. So, she had let the pros take charge of the demons and had come straight back to Bloomington. She could take care of herself in the field. Nevertheless, she preferred to avoid getting involved. She had learned how to fight during the years. She was at ease with weapons and she was doing all right in hand-to-hand. She giggled. No, she was good at hand-to-hand. But it was a fact that was ignored by the Scoobies. When she arrived at the University, she had taken martial arts classes. Even if she decided to avoid the supernatural, she was aware of all the things that go bump in the night. This kind of knowledge was not easily forgotten. She valued her life, and because of that she had to be able to defend herself if she was attacked. Vampires were rare but not extinct. Being independent meant that she could not rely on a Scooby or a Slayer to come save her. She had even learned to shoot. You couldn't be too careful.

Finally, she put her bag in her room and took her out cell. She pressed one and called her sister who picked up at the fourth ring.

"Hi!"

"Buff, it's me."

"Dawnie! Are you home yet?"

"Yeah. I'm in my room and in one piece."

"That's great! Listen, can I call you back later?"

Buffy sounded distracted.

"How's it going with the apocalypse?"

"Good. Well, not really. But we have it all under control. I really have to go. I'll call you back when it's over. Bye!"

And she hung up. The Key sighed and put her cell away. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until Buffy called her back to say that they were all alive and that the world wouldn't stop. Not this time at least. The door burst open and Karen walked in.

"Dawnie! You are here early."

"Yeah. My sister had things to take care of, so she had no time for me and here I am!"

"Ok. So be ready and pretty in ten minutes! Aurelia's having a party! You're going with me."

The African-American did not even give Dawn a chance to protest and left the room. The Key smiled and looked in her closet. What was she going to wear?

¤

It was near one am. She took her phone out of her jean skirt pocket. No call from Buffy. Too bad. This was why she preferred to ignore it when apocalypses take place so she didn't worry. She took her cup and filled it with Cola before swallowing it. The party was in full swing. A lot of people were drunk and were laughing loudly. She had lost Karen two hours ago. She saw her leave with a football player and there was no chance that she would see her again tonight. Her head was beginning to throb as the tiredness began setting in. After getting up early this morning –or yesterday- she had driven all the day. It wasn't really resting. It was time to hit the sack. She fetched her coat and left the party.

On her way, she bumped into some of the dancers who either glared at her or leered at her. The once big green orb of mystical energy was now a beautiful woman with her long brown hair, big blue eyes and luscious lips. Her healthy lifestyle had sculpted her body and, to top it all for Buffy, her little sister had breasts! The Slayer used to complain about the world's injustice which made her small and flat-chested while her little sister was tall and voluptuous. She used to say that with her best pout and her perfect imitation of a dumb Californian blond. Dawn would respond by laughing and saying that the monks knew what they were doing by creating her. This, according to Buffy, was really strange because, hey, they were monks! They should not have known what a woman looked like.

The corridor was empty when she finally reached it. She decided to give up on the elevator and take the stairs. On the first floor, she heard yells. Curious, she followed them.

"Emma! Emma, open that door!"

Tom Carmichael was punching a door, his voice full of concern. She quickly reached him:

"Tom, what's wrong?"

He didn't turn to look at her:

"Emma's not answering."

Emma was his girlfriend. She hadn't actually met the girl but Tom was always talking about her. They had been going out since high school.

"Maybe she fell asleep."

"No. She was just grabbing a book for Marc. But it's been a while! It's not normal."

No, it's not, thought Dawn.

"Don't you have a key?"

"I let it at my apartment."

Dawn tried to think about what was happening. Maybe Emma had decided to sit down for five minutes and fallen asleep. But the pounding and the yells would have woken her up. All of a sudden, the temperature fell and the lights flickered. Dawn exhaled and a small white cloud appeared in front of her.

"Break the door down Tom."

He looked at her, surprised.

"Break this fucking door down!"

Now, Dawn's heart was pounding fast and adrenaline was flooding her veins. The part of her she had tried to forget, the one fighting the supernatural was telling her whatever was in this room was gone and that they were too late. She watched Tom kick the door. Once. Twice. Three time. On the fourth, the door burst open and he rushed in, Dawn on his heels. The bathroom door was closed and Tom did not hesitate to break it down.

"Emma! No!"

She arrived just in time to see him taking Emma out of the full bathtub. Her lips were blue and her skin so pale! Tom laid her down.

"Come on babe, open your eyes. You can't do this to me. Please, babe! Emma!"

Dawn knew it was too late. She will never open her eyes again. She called 911 while Tom gave mouth-to-mouth to Emma. He looked at her.

"Do the heart massage."

Knowing it was in vain, she began, for Tom. Emma's body was cold. She did not take her eyes off her friend and tried to keep the sadness at bay. He will need someone soon. His face was bathed in tears and she was sure he knew the cruel truth but he was not ready to accept it. Not yet. The paramedics arrived and moved them aside. Dawn helped them by grabbing her friend's arm.

"Tom, come on. Let them do their job."

He followed her when she took him to the living room where he sat on the coach. In the corridor, students were being kept away by a police officer. Another started to approach but with one look, she begged him to wait, to let them face the truth. Tom was staring at the bathroom door. She sat beside him and took his hand. He squeezed it hard. After what seemed like an eternity, two paramedics came out of the small room, defeated. One walked toward the policemen, the other toward them. Tom stood up, nodding, not wanting to hear what the man was going to say, because when he announced it, it would be for real. This entire nightmare would become real. Unfortunately, someone had to say it. So, the paramedic did his job.

"I'm sorry. We tried everything but it was too late. She was already dead."

It was then that Tom broke down. He rushed to Emma's side, taking her in his arms, crying, begging her to wake up. Dawn watched, tears falling down her cheeks. She was hurting for him because she knew all too well the pain he felt. She turned her head toward the policemen and the paramedic. He held out a bottle of pills and explained.

"We found this, open, on the bathtub. I think she killed herself."

Policemen shared a knowing look. The police investigation was closed. Suicide. Dawn looked again at Tom. They couldn't be right. She saw pictures of Emma. She was so full of life. She and Tom had so many plans. They wanted to travel, get married, have children. She was looking for a book. Not death. All of a sudden, she remembered what Karen said, one week ago.

"No! She was one of my friends! She loves life! Loved. She would never have killed herself. I saw her yesterday at this party. She was with Henry but she decided to leave early because she had an exam today."

They were killed in the same circumstances. Two girls who were bursting with life. Who didn't want to die. Two girls who drowned in their bathtub after taking sleeping pills. She remembered the little altar for Debbie. Two girls who lived in the same building. The cold and the flickering lights came to her mind. She was sure those deaths were not natural. And whatever caused them, it would kill again.


	3. Chapter 3

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A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Thank you for all the reviews ! I'm kinda frustrated because my computer decided to let me down and I lost all my photos, datas and other. Hopefully, I had not lost my fics but it was close... Sometimes, I really really hates computers !

I hope to read a lot of reviews to make me feel better.

Enjoy!

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Dawn was vaguely listening to the dean's speech in memory of Emma Thompson. She was watching the girl's portrait. She was beautiful but not the model type. Her eyes were too far apart, her nose had been broken once and she was wearing glasses. Nevertheless, her image was so calm and so serene. Looking at her, you could only see her kindness and that made her beautiful. Her death had alarmed the teachers who were afraid that more suicides would occur in the future. If only they knew… the student thought. But knew what? whispered a voice in her head. She didn't even know what happened! Or what was happening. It was supernatural, she was sure. She lived on the Hellmouth long enough to see the signs. But that was all she knew, the signs.

That night, she had to tell the policemen what happened. She had to start again with the detectives the next day. Of course, the investigation was closed quickly. Emma had killed herself. Tom had tried to make everyone understand that his girlfriend would never ever have killed herself. But nobody had listened to him. All he received was compassionate and pitiful looks. So, he stopped talking though his eyes were burning with a cold anger she knew well. He was angry at everyone who believed the suicide theory.

Buffy had finally called Dawn back. They had stopped the apocalypse. Everything was under control. She had felt that something was not right and her little sister had told them that one of her friends had killed herself. The Slayer was upset. She had asked her if she could do anything. Dawn hadn't told her that it was surely supernatural. That something was lurking in the dark, pushing young women to killed themselves. Both Summers finally said goodbye to each other and hung up. And now, she was here, on the front row for this stupid ceremony for Emma and Debbie, two students too weak to overcome the stress of life. She wanted to scream.

The speech over, she stand up and left while students were forming a line in order to place a rose in front of the pictures of the lost ones. She always hated this kind of event. They were dead. How could roses change that? How could flowers reduce the pain and the void they left in the lives of the ones they knew? Lost in her thoughts, she didn't see the man and ran right into him.

She touched her aching shoulder, keeping to herself the flow of angry words that were threatening to cross her lips. She looked up and up –how tall was this man? - and glared at him. He was tall, even for her. He had brown hair, slightly too long, a bony face and brown eyes too old for the body that they belonged to. Eyes which had seen too much, like hers. He was wearing old jeans, a brown T-Shirt under an opened shirt and a denim jacket. He didn't seem to be older than her. And he was not alone. Beside him stood a shorter man. In fact, he was the same height as her. But he was older and well-built. His hair was short and light brown and his eyes were green. Looking at them, she saw the little features they had in common and assumed that they were siblings.

"I am sorry. Are you okay?" the tall one asked.

"I'll survive."

He shot her a sad and knowing smile. Surely, he had seen her coming from that stupid ceremony.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He pointed to her hand still on her aching shoulder. She quickly removed it.

"It'll have a bruise. Nothing bad."

She looked behind her, where the ceremony was still going on.

"They were your friends?" asked the smaller one.

"Acquaintances. I'm sorry but I have to go. Don't worry, I'm fine."

She went past them and walked away.

"Hey wait!"

She sighted and turned around. Both men exchanged a look and she had the impression that it meant more than she know, like when Buffy and her shared a look full of unsaid things. The shorter one took matters into his own hands.

"I'm Dean House and this is Sam Sheffield. The dean asked us to come. We're counselors. We're here to help the students handle both girls' deaths. He would like to avoid something like this happening again."

Dean House and Sam Sheffield? Are they kidding? Those names were so made up! Maybe they could have gotten away with in with someone else but not here. She had been lying since she was eleven. She had lost the count of all the ones she had to invent for the mere mortals who refused to see what was lurking in the dark corners of their house. And since when do counselors were dress this casually? She wondered what kind of fool would believe their story. However, she was sure some people would be dumb enough. After all, if she knew one thing about human beings, it was their capacity to close their eyes when it suited them. In any case, she wouldn't be the one to tell them they lacked credibility.

"This kind of accident will not happen again," she said.

"Do you believe they really killed themselves?" Sam asked.

"What I believe will not make them come back. Listen, I have a class in half an hour and I have to get my stuff. I don't need counselors. Have a nice day."

She turned around and walked away quickly, not waiting for an answer and not giving them any chance to distract her. It was rude but she didn't care. She really had a class and she didn't want to be late.

¤

Dean Winchester watched as the girl walked away. In fact, he watched the way her jeans were enhancing her swinging hips. She was hot! A hit in his arm forced him to look away just in time to see his brother rolling his eyes and sighing. What a buzz kill! He couldn't deny the fact that this girl was sexy! A little young, certainly. So what? As long as she was over eighteen… He saw Sam go closer the students and followed him.

The two hunters then watched in silence as they paid a last homage to the deceased. Two suicides in two weeks. Nobody seemed to find that strange. Even if the circumstances were the same. What were the odds that two girls, known for their love of life and living in the same building would killed themselves suddenly and in the same way? It was screaming supernatural. But of course, nobody seemed to see that something wrong was going on. Sometimes, Sam and Dean had a hard time believing the stupidity of humankind. Even if they were a very smart species, they could be particularly foolish.

They waited until the students begin to leave, letting them say goodbye. Dean watched the sad faces and found the one he was looking for. Tom Carmichael, Emma's boyfriend. He elbowed Sam in the ribs and approached him.

"Tom Carmichael?" Dean called.

The man turned around and Sam introduced them, repeated what his brother had said to the girl before.

"What do you want?" asked Tom, not really happy to see them.

"We're sorry for your loss," Sam began. "We know it's hard…"

"You know nothing!" the boyfriend cut him. "What do you want me to say? How much it hurts since Emma died? How many times I have replayed the scene in my head, over and over and over? And now what? You know what makes me so sad? It's watching her family and her friends listen to everyone say that she killed herself!"

"You don't believe in the suicide theory?" Dean asked.

"How could I? We had so many plans! I knew her heart. She couldn't lie to me. She bought gifts for her nephew's birth, called her mother confirming our visit in February. Shit, she even thought of our future children's name! She was just looking for a book! A fucking book!"

Dean understood the man's anger. In his shoes, he would be angry. He wanted to say he was right, that she had not killed herself but that something pushed her to do it but he couldn't. Because there was little chance that he would accept the idea that a spirit killed his girlfriend. Sam was going on the interview.

"What do you think happened that night?"

"I don't know," whispered Tom. "Everything happened so fast and. When I noticed that she hadn't come back, I began to worry so I went to her apartment. She lived alone. The door was closed and that was unusual. I knocked but she didn't answer. And Dawn arrived. She asked me what was going on and I told her. She was calm at first. And then, suddenly, she ordered me to smash the door. It was like she knew that something happened. Something bad. The rest was a blur."

The Winchester exchanged a look. They had to talk to this Dawn. It seemed like something got her thinking, an indication that something was happening, something supernatural. And she didn't refuse to see it, didn't panic. That was interesting.

"And this Dawn, where could we find her?" Dean asked.

"You ran into her only a few minutes ago" Tom answered.

Dean understood that the hot girl who refused to talk to them was Dawn and kept the swearword to himself. When he remembered the way she welcomed them, he doubted that she would cooperate. At least, it would be fun.

"Where does she live?"

"At the Ashton residence, in Mason Hall. Apartment 204 I think."

"Thanks. Listen, we'll be staying on the campus for awhile. If you want to talk, don't hesitate."

"Thanks but no thanks."

He couldn't stay any longer and left. The brothers exchanged a knowing look; they had to talk to Dawn. Burying his hands in his jeans pocket, Dean said, "She has class now. We could check out the place and go to this freaking haunted building."


	4. Chapter 4

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A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Thanks for all your wonderfull reviews! That's fantastic. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. It's a little shorter than the others but I plan on updating more often.

So, enjoy!

* * *

Sam knocked on the door. They had studied the building were the two girls died, breaking in without a problem. They had found nothing. No traces of a spirit anywhere. Their tools kept silent. But this meant nothing, really. Just that their spirit, whoever he was, was not there at the time. They returned to their motel to take stock of the situation, eating, changing clothes and took a quick nap. They waited until the end of the afternoon before going back to the campus when they were sure most of the classes had ended. When they arrived, night was falling.

The girl who opened the door was not Dawn. The beautiful black woman who did was surprised to see them. Pleasantly surprised, if her smile was any indication. She leaned against the frame and smiled at them with her glossy lips. She studied them, undressing them with her eyes. Which made Sam blush before quickly rolling his eyes when he saw his brother enter in to his flirting mode.

"What can I do for you guys?" the girl asked with a sensuous voice.

"A lot of things," answered Dean.

Letting them flirt, Sam tried to have a quick look inside. He only spotted an Asian girl, drawing in charcoal on a table.

"Does Dawn Summers live here?" he asked, stopping their game.

The girl was disappointed as she got off the frame.

"Sandra, can you fetch Dawn?"

The Asian girl –Sandra- lifted her eyes off her drawing, eyed the Winchester brothers before yelling.

"Dawn, you have visitors!"

"I could have done that San'!" muttered the black girl.

"So next time, do it! I'm drawing Karen."

Sam smiled, Jessica's voice covering Sandra's one. He knew this tone so well. One which said 'You-know-very-well-that-when-I'm-drawing-I'm-available-for-nobody.' They heard steps and Dawn appeared. She stood frozen for a second when she saw them and an annoyed light flashed in her blue eyes. She pushed Karen in the flat, left it and closed the door behind them. Crossing her arms, she asked "What do you want?"

¤

The Key wasn't expecting to see them so soon. They were quick. She didn't know if she was amused, curious or bothered. A little of all three surely. The short one –Dean if she reminded well- gave a look to the tall one –Sam- that was saying "I told you so".

"You were the one to find Emma's body with her boyfriend, right?"

He already knew the answer. He was just telling her why they were here. As if she didn't know why!

"So what?" she replied, prepared to not help them.

Dean's jaw contracted as he was getting more and more frustrated. This simple gesture made her proud. She had learnt how to be a bitch thanks to the best: Cordelia, Anya, Faith and even Buffy when she wanted. And of course, Spike.

"Listen," Dean said. "I know you don't want to talk about it. You were clear about that."

"So what are you doing here?"

"We told you," cut Sam. "We're here to help!"

She tapped her foot, rolling her eyes. She opened the door, disappeared in the flat, leaving them speechless in the corridor. She came back two minutes later, stuck a piece of paper in Dean's hand and said, "When you are ready to tell me the real reason your here, maybe I will consider talking to you. Until then, I don't have time to waste."

Dean watched aghast as Dawn slammed the door in their face. Without looking at his brother, he asked, "Did she just do what I think she just did?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Ok. Just wanted to be sure."

And he swore. Sam laughed and Dean glared at him. He didn't like to be ignored. And even less having a door slammed in his face. It was rude. And it hurt his ego. Usually, he was the one to hurt someone else's ego, not the other way around. This girl was annoying. But she was annoying him in a good way. He wanted to know more about her, to counter-attack until he had the last word. In short, she was titillating his curiosity and had an effect on him that few women had.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"We tell her the truth."

"What?!"

Dean saw his brother looking at him doubtfully and he shrugged.

"You heard her. She wants to know why we're here. So, we tell her. I don't think another lie will work. Do you?"

"So you want to tell her the truth? Just like that?"

"Do you have a better idea? "

"It's just that… You never want to say the truth. Ever. And now, suddenly, you want to be honest?"

"I have the feeling that she already knows what happened. What really happened."

Sam thought his brother was right. Dawn seemed smart and resourcefulness. And most of all, that night, she had known that something was wrong. And there was no indication. No real, tangible explanation. Dean was also right when he said that she would not fall for another lie. When she asked them to tell the truth, she had a fierce look on her face. So, he gave up.

"Ok, we tell her everything."

Dean buried the paper in his pocket and knocked on the door. Nobody answered. He knocked again and this time the door was opened by the Asian painter. She glared at them while trying to not touch anything with her black fingers.

"What can I do for you?" she asked her calmly.

Dean was about to respond when he saw Dawn leaning against a wall. She was watching them with an irritating little smile. Oh she was infuriating! He ignored the Asian girl and spoke to Dawn.

"Have you eaten?"

"Are you paying?"

"Of course."

She smiled and said, "Let me grab my bag and I'm all yours!"

Dean watched her disappear down the corridor. He put his attention on the young Asian girl who was looking at them. He flashed her his best smile. She blushed furiously and resumed her drawing. He turned toward his brother.

"Do you have one of your freaky visions about tonight?"

"No."

"I have one. I'm sure it will be really interesting."

Sam knew the look in his brother's eyes. He's only seen it once before, a few years ago, when Dean was dating a girl named Allison. Back then, the eldest Winchester had envisioned the possibility of dropping the hunt and living a normal life. However, Dean was like their dad, a hunter who put his family above everything else. So, when John had been contacted by another hunt, in another state, Dean had followed him, breaking up with Allison. He had been sullen and irritable for several weeks after. Sometimes, Sam had even caught him sending an accusing look to his father. He had dated Allison for only a week and Sam had always thought that if they had stayed longer, maybe Dean would have decided to let their dad continue the fight without him. But they had left.

This time, Sam saw why Dean was so interested in Dawn. During the few minutes they had seen her, she had made a strong impression. Very quick, aggressive, beautiful, clever, and above all, resistant to Dean's engaging smiles. The ones that had taken years to perfect. If Jessica's death was not so fresh, he could have been interested in her too. But he hadn't said goodbye Jess yet and her shadow was always with him.

He was brought back to reality by Dawn's return. He took a quick look at her. She was wearing a low black skin-tight jeans, an electric blue pull-over which was cut just under the navel, a thick black coat and a black shoulder strap bag completed her outfit. Now, with her heels, she was slightly taller than Dean. She smiled at him.

"Let's go!"

Dean took the initiative and led them out. Sam let her go first. Yes, this evening was going to be interesting, that was for sure!


	5. Chapter 5

****

A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

I can't believe all the reviews! You guys are wonderfull!

Here the next part.

Enjoy!

* * *

Dawn swallowed the last mouthful before letting herself fall against her chair with a sigh full of satisfaction. Sam and Dean were staring at her with wide eyes. Until now, they had never seen a young woman eat so much! And she was thin. Where did she put everything she had just eaten? Their surprise amused her.

She had taken them to a little pizzeria in Bloomington. She knew the owners because Buffy had helped them with some demons that had decided to live in the sewers just under the restaurant. She had asked for a table in a calm and isolated spot. And they were now in a little backroom used for parties. They hadn't talked about why they were there. She had answered their questions about her life in the university, her roommates, her classes. She had let them do that and was cooperative. However, dinner was ending and the truce was over. She wiped her lips with a napkin and looked at them seriously, all business-like.

"So, now that you have all your answers about my private life, it's my turn. Who are you really?"

They shared a look and Dean answered.

"I'm Dean Winchester, and he's my little brother Sam. We're hunters."

She blinked.

"Hunters? And what are you hunting at my university?"

She already knew the answer. The thing they were hunting was supernatural. It was the thing that killed the girls.  
"Spirits mainly," said Dean.

She remembered the sudden coldness she had felt the night Emma died. The lights that were going on and off. It explained everything. A spirit was responsible for the mysterious deaths. She closed her eyes briefly. She didn't know a thing about ghosts. She was more into the corporeal creatures. The good old ones you could kill with axes, swords or any other blunt or sharp object.

"How do we get rid of it?" she asked.

The surprise was evident on their face. This was not the reaction they were expecting. Maybe they were expecting more denial or mockery. But not acceptance and aggression.

"That's all?" Sam dared to ask. "We are talking about supernatural beings. Without body. And not really nice."

"Dead people who hadn't find their rest and wander again for a reason or another," she added with a little smile. "Yeah, I know what spirits are. But it's not really my field."

"And what is your field?" Dean asked, curious and incredulous.

"More material things," she answered vaguely.

She cleared the table in front of her, put her bag on her knees and get out two stakes, one considerably sized cross and several bottles of holy water. From under her pull, she put out a silver cross pendant. She lifted the bottom of her pants so they could see a little silver dagger. Dean whistled.

"Impressive."

"Where I'm from, we used to always have a weapon, least if we wanted to survive."

Sunnydale would be her excuse. She didn't plan to tell them anything else. If they were hunters, they would know the town and it would be enough.

"And where are you from?" asked Sam.

"Sunnydale."

¤

With the name of the city, images of vampires, murders and a crater flooded their mind. Sunnydale was well known by hunters. Strangely, nobody set a foot in it. They said that nothing could be done. It was a point of evil energy so massive that supernatural beings ruled the place, even if humans were not aware of it. Hunters had tried to be there to get rid of the vampires, demons and other things that go bump in the night, but no one came back. Not alive anyway. The city was now avoided.

Four years ago, they had learned that Sunnydale had collapsed and that in its place stood a giant crater. Suddenly, there was nothing left of the most feared city where men and women used to live amongst monsters and survived it, for the most part.

Dean watched the woman in front of him more closely this time. He would bet that she always went out at night with these weapons. He noticed her straight posture. She was confident. At least, it was the image she was showing. But most of all, he saw her eyes for the first time. She had two big blue eyes, vibrating with energy, life and challenge. She seemed to say "Look, after everything I saw, I survived. You can throw me anything you want, I will still stand up after." It was such an odd and old look for someone as young as she was. They were contradictory to her face which had kept her baby fat. She was a little girlish-woman, a paradox. It was a strange mix which was not repulsing him like he thought it would. He didn't ask anymore question about her past. Instead, he explained.

"For killing a spirit, we have to identify it, know how it died and why. We then find where he was buried and salt and burn his remains."

"Purification ritual."

He nodded.

"How did you know what was happening that night?" Sam asked.

"I was at a party on another floor. When I left, I saw Tom in front of Emma's apartment. I knew them a little. Tom takes some of the same courses as I do. At the beginning, I thought that Emma had perhaps fallen asleep. But the lights in the corridor had started to flicker and the temperature had fallen in a way that wasn't natural at all. Then I saw my breath. Then my spidey sense went off. You know, when you live in Sunnydale, you develop a radar for this kind of thing. It's instinctive. I just knew. After I simply put two and two together. Two suicides, two girls known for their joy in life and both dead in completely identical ways. All in two weeks. I don't believe in coincidences."

"Most people never think about that," Dean observed.

"Most people don't have my past," she answered simply.

The two brothers didn't ask any more questions. It was not that they didn't want to. The young woman called a waitress who was passing by and asked for the bill. She put her weapons back in her bag and slipped the stake in her coat.

"I don't know a lot about this campus," she explained. "I came here because I wanted to escape the supernatural. I want a normal life, away from the monsters. But if you need help, I'll be there. However, I would like to not be involved in that. I know what goes bump in the night, and it's enough."

"We understand that more than you think," Sam whispered.

She stood up, dropped twenty bucks on the table for her share and a little more.

"You have my number and you know where I live. Keep me posted. Good hunt."

"Wait!"

Dean had gotten to his feet as soon as he saw her leave and realized she had no way home. She turned around.

"We can take you back," he offered.

"No thanks. I'll catch a cab, maybe walk a little. I'm armed and I know how to defend myself. Don't worry about me; you have a spirit to catch. Good night."

Dean watched her go while she squeezed between tables and disappeared onto the street. Behind him, his little brother was paying the rest of the bill. He tapped him in the shoulder.

"Let's go. You heard the lady. We have a spirit to catch before it strikes again."

Sam and Dean Winchester left the restaurant, ready to do what they did best: to hunt.


	6. Chapter 6

****

A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Thank you very much for the reviews! I hope you'll continue to enjoy this. Here the next part.

Enjoy!

* * *

The two hunters respected Dawn's decision to be left out of the case. They didn't call her and she didn't see them again. She was busy enough with the beginning of the new semester and her simple and normal life. Classes, friends, homework, parties. It was awfully unremarkable. And awfully reassuring. After a week, she even said to herself that maybe, she had seen supernatural where there was just depression. She hated herself for thinking that. However, selfishly, it was reassuring her.

She entered the small apartment after an exhausting day of classes. She was thinking of everything she had to do. Cleaning her room that looked like a bomb had exploded in a middle of it. Calling Buffy. Finishing the translation on the text Giles sent her and sending it back to him. It was also her turn to do the grocery shopping. She stopped her mental list when she saw Dean and Sam sitting at the kitchen table, talking with Chloe and Kathleen. They looked at her and greeted her while standing up.

"I'll put my bag in my room and I'm all yours," she announced.

She threw her schoolbag on the bed and took out the one she used every day. She put her cell and purse in it and got back to her guests who were saying goodbye to the girls. Dawn watched Dean flirt with them and Chloe blush. Sam was nice and kept his distance.

"Do we have to wait on you for dinner?"

"No need," answered Dean before she could open her mouth.

Dawn watched the oldest one while he pushed her toward the door, a hand on her back. She heard her friends telling her to have a good evening as they laughed. On their way to the car, they made small talk. Dean asked a few questions about her friends like "Do they have boyfriends?" Sam was rolling his eyes, exasperated by his brother's attitude. In the car, he steered the conversation and they started talking about classes. Dean, bored, drove in silence for a while before turning on the radio. Nirvana drowned out their voices. Sam turned it off. Dean turned it on. They started arguing about each other's taste in music. Dawn settled into the seat and let their voices sooth her. It was kind of comforting to hear them argue. It reminded her of Buffy and her. And she liked their voices. They were deep, low and warm voices. Dean's seemed to break by moment. Especially when he was upset, like right now. Sam's one was softer, reassuring. Their personalities fit well when you thought about it.

The arguing ceased when Dean parked the car outside the small restaurant where they had eaten at the last time. She went inside first and spoke to the owner. Susanna found them a table quickly after welcoming them. They found themselves at the same place that the last time. A waitress brought them the menu and Dawn watched as Dean followed the girl's swinging hips.

"Is he always like this?" she asked Sam.

"Sadly."

Dean turned toward them when the waitress disappeared just in time to see them shaking their heads.

"What?"

"Nothing Dean," Sam answered.

They talked a little, waiting for the waitress to take their orders then bring out their dinners. When that was done, Dawn got a serious look on his face and asked.

"So? What do you want to tell me?"

¤

Dean and Sam exchanged a glance. This time, she hadn't waited until the end of dinner. The last time, she had asked to stay out of the case. They weren't really surprised. Who in their right mind could want to be involved in something supernatural when they could stay away and lead a normal life? They would not be the one to throw a stone. Even Sam had tried to stay away, without much success.

So, they had investigated on the campus, keeping a low profile. People agreed on one thing: both girls had loved life. So it seemed. Nobody wondered why they had killed themselves though. They had shrugged their shoulders while saying that you really didn't know people. They said that college was a stressful life that wasn't meant for everyone. The Winchesters found that a depressing but deeply human reaction.  
Dean explained that to Dawn before telling her what they had found.

"We investigated the history of the university and of the building and we found something. These are not the first suicides."

"Are you sure? It's the first I've heard about and I have been here for two years now."

"There have been six in all," Sam answered, getting out some papers of his jacket pocket. "Four in five years. Then, a break for two years and then the two this year. They all happened in the same building but in different rooms. The victims were girls of various ages who were studying different things. In fact, they had very opposite profiles. Both of them were depressed at the time of their death but they died in the same way that the other did so we included them."

"Do you have the name of the spirit?" Dawn asked. "It should be the first victim, right? We have to find and burn her remains."

"It's already done. She was cremated." Dean told her.

Dawn frowned.

"So we have to burn what? Her ashes?"

"No. She shouldn't have been able to come back."

"So what are we doing now?"

"We don't know. There is a spirit. That's a fact. But whose? We have to find out who it is first. We must have missed something. We're going to keep digging."

"And while you're digging, there's a spirit that's killing young girls. And we can't do anything to stop it."

The boys watched as Dawn's face darkened. She didn't like the news anymore than they did. There was nothing more frustrating than having to wait for a new clue.

"That's the reason why I prefer corporeal things! At least, they can't hide. We hunt them. We find them. We killed them. End of story."

"Did you used to do that often?" Dean asked with curiosity.

She shrugged. "I was young. I didn't do anything. But I knew the people who were doing it before things got out of hand. When did you start hunting?"

Not a very subtle change of subject, Dean thought. Sam listened to his brother tell how they had followed their father on the road their whole lives. He didn't say anything about the demon that killed their mom and set their father his obsessed hunt. The hunt his sons continued when he disappeared. Dawn explained to them that they were the first hunters she met. She hadn't known that people were doing that. She asked them practical questions: how did they manage their life? How well were they known? She joked but was really serious.

Dean became silent and let Sam answered all the questions. He used that time to observe her better. She had a round and childish face. Her lips were full and turned into a sulky pout when something annoyed her. The look would have been annoying and ridiculous on an older adult. What was more striking were her big blue eyes. They were almost too big for her face, too bright to be real. They were electric blue, with a hint of green. When she looked at you, it was like she was seeing right through you, into your soul. She was not what Dean would call pretty. She looked too young for him. Nevertheless, they would have to work with her. And, as the hunter he was, he couldn't ignore her charisma. She was not like most women. She had an attitude, a detachment that only the best hunters had acquired with a lifetime of fighting against the things that hide in the night. She could be a great hunter. He asked suddenly.

"Why have you stop hunting?"

She seemed surprised by the question and she looked into his eyes. Shrugging, she answered.

"I wanted a normal life."

"Even with everything you know?"

She saw where he was going and searched for the best words to explain why she made that decision.

"I was eleven when I saw my first vampire. After that, my world changed. Demons became everyday life. Years passed by and I saw what the hunt did to the people around me. It toughened them, it changed them. They suffered. Then, I saw people die, people I loved. When Sunnydale collapsed, I decided I had enough, I couldn't lose anyone anymore. So, I came here."

Sam understood perfectly what she had tried to do. He tried to do the same thing by leaving for college.

"I wanted a normal life too," he confessed. "I went to Stanford and tried to forget everything."

"What happened?"

"Real life bit me in the ass. My fiancée got killed by a demon and I realized I couldn't hide, I couldn't run away. So, I started hunting again."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. Dean was observing him with a sidelong glance. Jessica was a sensitive point. He never talked about her, even to him, his own brother. That was worrying him. Sam wasn't one to keep things from him. He was the chatty one, the chick one. Emotional conversations weren't for Dean. He got away as fast as possible and was panicking at the first sign of chick moment.

"I have a question to ask about the ghost."

Dawn's voice took him out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the young woman. She was frowning in concentration. When she had their attention, she went on.

"A spirit is linked to its bones, right?"

"Yes," confirmed Sam.

"Isn't it possible that in this particular case, the spirit is linked to the building and not her corpse? And if she had a message to pass on? Maybe she has one and it's so important to her that she has to find a way to stay here and without a corpse, she grabbed hold of the building."

The Winchester brothers were thinking. They had never heard of something like that. In a normal case, the hardest part was to identify the ghost and to find its bones. Only, this time, there wasn't a corpse. Dean took out his father's journal and leafed through it. Sam explained:

"We've never heard of a case like that. We don't even know if that's possible."

"There's nothing in there," announced Dean with a frustrated growl.

Dawn was staring into nothing and said:

"But there was a case like that in Sunnydale. An old orphanage was changed into an apartment complex on the campus. Only problem was, orphans were slaughtered in there and their spirits were haunting the place. And yet, there were no bodies. They were linked to the building."

"How did you get rid of them?"

With a face, she answered:

"I don't know. I was young. My sister just told me everything would be alright."

"And that helps us how?" asked a defeated Dean.

"We have a trail. That's more than what we had an hour ago," pointed Sam.

Dawn was tapping her fingers on the table with a vacant look. Dean raised an eyebrow and asked help from his brother with a look and only received a shrug. What was she thinking of? She seemed to reconnect with reality and asked.

"And if we were searching for what she wants?"

"Why?"

"If she's here, it's because she has unfinished business. So, we could help her finish it. At peace, she could leave."

"You want us to help a spirit?"

Both men were skeptical. They had never helped a ghost before. They never met a receptive one. They were killing, trapped in a vicious circle and that was it. And if Dawn was right, if this spirit was trying to tell them something, it had not really succeeded. Sam opened his mouth to ask the young woman what she had planned to do but she beat him to it and stood up, grabbing her things and asking.

"Do you have the victims' names?"

Sam nodded and hold out a little file he had prepared for her. Dean had made fun of him when he did this. The young one hadn't even tried to explain to him how students worked. Dawn took it and thanked him.

"I'm going to think and see if I find an idea. I'll call you as soon as I find something."

And with that, she left them without even asking them to take her back home. Dean stood up and paid for the bill. Reaching the Impala, Sam asked "So what now?"

"I don't know. We take Dawn's idea and find out if that's even possible?"

"It's not like we have anything else to do."

They got into the car. Soon, Deep Purple filled the air. They went back to their motel. Sam turned on his laptop while Dean let himself fall on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"She's hiding things."

Sam didn't even look up from his screen.

"Dawn?"

"Yeah. What was she doing at Sunnydale ? She knows way too much for someone who wants to get away from the supernatural."

"She lived in Sunnydale Dean."

"Come on Sammy! Most inhabitants of that city couldn't see past their nose. That town had the highest mortality rate of the whole country! And no one ever found that strange. Not even the government! Even hunters didn't go there."

"Maybe. But some people seem to have known what was happening. We don't know Dean. And that's none of our business. Dawn knows a lot of thing and that's all. She toned down her life. So what? We did it too!"

"Yeah. You're probably right."

Sam went back to his searches while Dean concentrated on the Dawn mystery. She was younger than Sammy but seemed to know a lot of things. She had a striking personality and not too bad of a body. If he wasn't careful, she could become an obsession. He got up, grabbed his jacket and told his brother he was leaving. The night was still young and they would be soon out of cash. Getting some money was a great idea for the night. And he was in the mood to play pool.


	7. Chapter 7

****

A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Hi guys! I hope Santa Claus had been generous with you this year. This is the last update of the year so I wish you en Happy New Year's Eve!

Enjoy!

* * *

Dawn went home without any problems. Her roommates were in the living room, watching a movie. When she entered, Karen smiled at her and asked:

"So what?"

The Key was the center of the attention now. She shrugged.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" asked Amanda. "According to Chloe and Nat, it can't be nothing. Who were the guys?"

She rolled her eyes, knowing that there was no way they would leave her alone.

"Dean and Sam. They worked for the University. They're here about the suicides."

Amanda winced. It was only now that Dawn saw the Chinese food package and swore.

"Shit! I forgot to do the shopping. I'm so sorry! I'll do it tomorrow."

"That's okay, don't worry," reassured her Karen.

That reminded Dawn of all the things she was supposed to do and she excused herself. Going to her room, she sighed in front of her mess. She put the file on her desk, her bag on the floor and started to clean. She sorted her clothes out, putting the dirty ones in the basket, folding the clean ones and putting them in her closet. She tidied her desk, arranging her books and her notes. Then, she turned on her computer and took out a Sumerian book. During the next hour, she worked on the text Giles had sent her. Luckily, she had worked on it before. Satisfied with her translation, she sent it to the Watcher with a little note on how things were going just fine here. A glance at the clock told her it was already eleven p.m. It was too late to call most people. But early enough to call Buffy. She took her cell and was dialing when Amanda came in.

"Your sister?" she asked.

"Yeah. I was supposed to call her earlier but I kind of forget."

The redhead smiled, taking off her top.

"And what distraction!"

"It's nothing like that between me and them. And it won't be."

"Too bad. You should go for it! Just once, don't think too much. Just feel. You haven't seen anyone since Brian."

"This has nothing to do with Brian!"

"If you say so."

Brian was three years older than her and they had dated for nine months after she started school. He had been her first for a lot of things: first real date, first love, first real kiss –that vampire in the car back in Sunnydale so didn't count!-, first real relationship and first lover. None of the Scoobies knew about him. They knew that there had been someone but they didn't know who. Buffy had tried to learn more but Dawn wouldn't open her mouth. She hadn't wanted to see her sister come down and give Brian the shovel speech. In high school, all her possible boyfriends had fled after their first meeting with her family, ruining all her chances. When she went to college, she decided to keep secrets. Boys were her major ones. She hadn't taken the break-up very well. He finished college and left for Seattle where he had found a job. Neither one of them really believed in long distance relationships so they had broken up. Dawn hadn't had another boyfriend since then and it wasn't bothering her.

Her sister's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Dawnie? Are you alright? I called you hours ago! Why didn't you call back sooner?"

The Key fought a sigh. Even with hundreds of miles separating them, Buffy was managing to be the most overprotective sister in the world.

"I'm fine Buff'! I was out with some friends."

She threw her pillow at Amanda who was smiling at her with an annoying little smile. She asked how the others were doing. She learned that Xander was in the hospital with a broken arm. Dawn asked what happened and only received "the risks of the job" answer. So she didn't try to learn more.

After half an hour, they said goodnight and Dawn hung up. Amanda was already in bed, reading a book. The Key changed into her pajamas and slipped between the sheets. She set her alarm for tomorrow. Doing that, she saw Sam's file. Too tired to read it tonight she decided to work on it the next day.

"Night Amanda."

"Night Dawn."

She switched off the light and found a comfortable position. In seconds, she was asleep.

¤ ¤

Helena Marshall was in her third year of archeology. She had no psychiatric record. Her friends described her as a friendly and open-minded person. She had a boyfriend for the past two and a half years, a guy named Teddy Space. Seven years ago, after a fight, she had been found dead in her bathtub. She had taken sleeping pills and had drowned. Her corpse had been cremated one week after. Two years after, Emily had just moved into the same apartment when she killed herself. Then, one year after, there had been Clara. Then, another year after, Nadia. And lastly, Debbie and Emma.

The big question was: why there was a two year gap? And why there were two deaths this year? The spirit seemed to be more impatient. Why? Dawn was sure she had something to say, some message to pass. So, the next question was: how do they communicate with her?

The Key watched the names and wondered why these women in particular were picked. What did they have in common? There were plenty of other people in the building. So why them?

She switched on her computer and googled Emily. She found some articles on her deaths, a few mentions of her in blogs and her webpage. She found her brother's name and searched for his phone number. When she found it, she dialed it. Charlie picked up and after a deep breath, she went on.

"Hi! I'm sorry to disturb you. My name is Dawn Summers and I'm a student at Indiana University."

"What do you want?"

"I'm really sorry to bring back such bad memories but I wanted to ask you a few questions about your sister."

"She killed herself. End of story."

"She killed herself in the same way as six other girls in the same building in the last seven years."

There was a blank, a sigh, and he asked.

"What do you want to know?"

"Was your sister acting weird before her death?"

"No weirder than usual."

That was not the answer she was expecting.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, Emily was kind of strange. She was my sister but she was a little crazy and it got worse that year. She used to say she was haunted."

"Haunted?"

"My sister was persuaded that the world was full of demons, spirit and that kind of crazy stuff. She said she could feel the dead people. At university, she began to drink. She said it shut out the voices. So, we were not really surprised when we learned she was dead."

"I'm sorry."

"You had nothing to do with it."

She thanked him and hung up. So, Emily was hypersensitive. She could feel the supernatural. And her family thought she was crazy. Stupid narrow-minded people! She did the same research for the other girls and called at least one member of their family. Hours passed by without her getting up and it was soon five pm. She had been working on it for four hours.

She got up and stretched her sore muscles. Going to the kitchen, she helped herself to another cup of black coffee. She was the only one in the apartment and everything was quiet. She got back to her room and studied the notes she had gathered.

All the victims were hypersensitive. Some more so than others but they had a thing with the supernatural. They could feel it, more or less. And they all died while a party was going on in the building. Maybe the spirit was replaying her death over and over again? But, she needed a vessel to do that and the only one she could get were the ones with hypersensitivity. Maybe she wanted to say something but every time, something failed and she couldn't do anything besides die again. That would explain everything. She took her cell and called Dean.


	8. Chapter 8

****

A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Hi guys! Thank you for still being here. I hope you still like this little fic. Just 2 chapters to go before the end. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!

Enjoy!

* * *

Dean closed his phone and got back to his room. His brother looked up from his laptop, frustrated. His search was going nowhere. He couldn't find another case like theirs.

"I'm going to pick Dawn up."

"Why?" asked Sam, standing up.

"She just called. She's got a theory."

"So soon? What is it?"

"You'll have to ask her."

Dean left and drove to the campus. Dawn was waiting for him outside her building. He stopped the car and opened the passenger door for her. She got in and he drove off again. They didn't speak much during the journey. Once they got the motel, she followed him inside and greeted Sam. She got out the file Sam had given her outside of her bag.

"Coffee?" Dean asked.

"Thanks."

Dean left to get the drinks while Sam showed Dawn to a chair. She looked around and asked:

"Do you have a home?"

"No. We're always on the road."

He saw the sadness that filled her eyes. He didn't like people pitying him and his brother. They lived like that by choice. Dean came back, hot coffee in hand. She accepted hers and opened the file. The Winchesters saw that she had blackened the pages with notes in a messy writing. She didn't wait and started explaining her theory and how she got there.

Dean was on his bed, listening as much as watching her speak. She was so excited that her speech was quick, her eyes were bright, her cheeks pink. She was smart. She had tracked down the families of the previous victims and called them. Sam and he had decided to not disturb them if it was possible. But she did it. Her tale finished, she waited, looking at them expectantly. Sam was frowning, deep in concentration.

"I've never heard of something like that."

"It doesn't mean that it's not possible," she retorted.

"It's not like we have a better explanation Sammy."

His younger brother glared at him when he heard the nickname and Dean caught an amused look on Dawn's face.

"Even if this theory is correct – and I don't say it is – how do we get rid of the spirit? We have no body to burn!"

"That's right too," Dean admitted, looking at Dawn.

He didn't like that. He wasn't used to asking for help, and much less from a young woman they didn't know. But she came with something new. Maybe he and his brother were a little too traditional for this case. Even if the spirit had always had a different background, they had gotten rid of them the same way every time. She could be right. Hell, he couldn't see another explanation for what was happening! Emily could have been hypersensitive too and that was making her stronger now that she wanted to communicate.

"My theory is a good one," Dawn said. "It's the only one we have! And I have a plan. We wait until the next party and we send in a bait. Someone sensitive to the supernatural who could act like a vessel for the spirit. And we help her give her message."

"Yeah because it's so easy to find someone who…"

Dean stopped and looked at her.

"No way!"

"It's the only way!" she exclaimed. "I am perfect for this! I'm a girl, I lived on the campus, I can go to every party I want and I can feel supernatural things."

"It's a bad idea," Sam told her.

"Do you have another one?" she asked.

"We'll find one."

"We don't have time! She could kill again. Or she could disappear for years before she finds someone perfect for her again! Do you really want to wait for something like that to happen? Tell me you have never ever done anything like that."

It was going to end badly. They could feel it. But Dawn had a point. They needed to act now before it was too late. And they were here to watch her back and making sure she got out alive from all this craziness. She was sensing their doubts and she said, with a calmer voice:

"Listen. I lived in Sunnydale for years. This kind of shit happened all the time. Ok, I was only watching them occur, but now, I have to act. I know all the risks and I would prefer it to be me as a vessel with you two guys there to save me than another girl with no one who will understand what happens to her. There is no body to salt and burn. No real corporeal spirit. We don't have much choice. We can help her find her peace and move on. Are you with me?"

They didn't like it. It was really too risky. The chances that Dawn got out unscathed were small. They looked at her and understood that she wasn't going to back off. She would execute her plan, with or without them.

"We'll be your shadows," Dean told her. "Before going to a party, you'll wait for us. We'll be ready to do an exorcism if things go bad."  
Her face lit up with a hundred watts smile.

"I'll call you as soon as I hear of a party."

She was getting her stuff, explaining that she had some work to do. Sam whispered to his brother:

"Am I the only one to think it's going to end badly?"

"No, you're not. Those things always go bad."

Dawn interrupted them:

"Stop whispering. I need a ride."

"I'm taking you back," Dean said while grabbing his coat.

She was already out. His brother grabbed him by the arm:

"Talk to her. Try to change her mind."

"I'm not good at this!"

"Try!"

Dean left, groaning. Dawn was waiting impatiently in front of the Impala. She was talking quickly and in an exasperated tone. Whoever she was talking to, it wasn't a pleasant conversation. She closed her eyes, pinched her nose and took a deep breath. He wondered if she was always this vivacious. He took his time to come near her, letting her acknowledge his presence and gave her a chance to end her call. She sighed in a frustrated way:

"I'm sure of my translation Giles! What could I do if you found another one? Listen, I'm not home right now and I don't really have time for this."

She rolled her eyes while he opened his door.

"A new semester has just started Giles. I don't have time to be your translator. Find someone else. Ask Wesley or Willow. They know this kind of things better than me. Say hi to everybody for me. I really need to go. Bye."

She hung up before going in the car. He revved up the car, sending her a flashing smile and the Impala went into the road.

"Are you sure there is no other plan?" He asked.

"No! Do you really think I woke up this morning and said to myself: 'Hey, why won't you be a vessel for this spirit who kills girls?' Give me  
some credit! "

"How can you be sure that she will pick you?"

"I'm kind of a demon magnet."

"Demon magnet?"

He looked at her with a curious expression. She laughed:

"I have been kidnapped a lot. In fact, I stopped counting the twelfth time. It's like I have this big neon sign above my head that would say: 'Victim for all types of demons right here.' My sister's best friend, Xander, used to attract female demons. He ended up with an Inca mummy who was drawing life to survive, a hot science teacher who was a giant praying mantis who needed virgins to reproduce, a demon who wanted to open the Hellmouth with his sacrifice. Oh, and his fiancée was a former vengeance demon. Hell, they even had a code he's supposed to send if his date turns out to be evil. Do you believe that? There are some poor guys who attracted trouble."

He smiled. He didn't want to be this Xander. He must have done something really bad in a former life to be cursed like that. In a strange way, what she was telling him reminded him of his brother.

"Sammy could be one of your 'Demon magnets'."

"He hates that. When you call him Sammy.

"Yeah I know. That's why it's so fun."

"Are you often getting him out of trouble?"

"Too often. But hey, I'm his big brother. It's my job."

"My sister says the same thing. She's overprotective. Before going to university, I didn't have one date! She made every boy run away,  
screaming."

"She can't be that bad."

"Are you kidding? Ok, when you see her, she doesn't seem that scary. She's small, slim, and blond and she has the best dumb act I've ever seen. Then, she sends you her death glare and one of her personal threat. And they flee. Really fast."

Dean tried to visualize Dawn's sister but he couldn't find anything terrifying in a small and slim blond girl. If she was at least as pretty as her sister, she couldn't be scary enough to make men run away. So, he asked:

"What kind of threat?"

"Let me think. I think her favorite one is something like: 'If you hurt her in anyway, I'll rip your rib cage out and wear it as a hat.' And there  
is 'I'll emasculate you and made you eat your masculinity.' "

He couldn't help but grimace. That was impressive. Dawn laughed:

"But she's way more persuasive than me."

"Maybe I could ask her advice for my own personal store…"

They spent the rest of the journey comparing their threats. Dean was impressed by Dawn's vocabulary. He didn't know that a woman as beautiful and innocent looking like her could say such blunt and crude things as she did.

When they arrived, he parked his car in front of her building and turned toward her. She took her bag and smiled at him. One of the mischievous smile you're expecting from a child and not a grown up. One that was strange with the wise and amused look you could see in her blue eyes. This girl –no, woman- was a living paradox.

"See you next time."

"Yeah, next time."

She opened her door. By reflex, he caught her arm. She questioned him with a look.

"You don't have to do this," he simply said.

Her smile fell.

"I know."

He let her go and watched her until she disappeared into her building. Then, he left. He and Sam needed to try to find another way to solve their case, before Dawn could carry out her plan. Before she get herself killed.


	9. Chapter 9

****

A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Hi guys! This is the ninth chapter. Just one to go. I also published this story on the site Twisting the Hellmouth, a wonderfull site where Buffy universe met so many other universes! A site full of wonderful crossovers. And I was surprised and so proud when I learnt that I was nominated for the Crossing Over Awards 2008! So, if you happen to be a member, don't forget to vote!

Now, I let you at your reading.

Enjoy!

* * *

Karen came hurtling in the room, surprising Dawn. The afro-American's face lifted up:

"Dawnie! My favorite roommate!"

The Key looked at her. She didn't like the smile on her face. She was too tired to go out. The last week had been trying. Class had been giving her a hard time and Giles had sent her several texts for her to translate. And she was sick. She, the Californian girl, had a throat infection. She hated winter! She was certain she had fever.

"I'm staying home tonight Karen."

"Please! Amanda is out with her new group of friends. Kathleen is working at the gym. Chloe is at the newspaper. And I have no idea where Sandra is. I just need you for a few hours."

"No."

"Two little hours."

"No Karen."

"One! Just one. I don't want to arrive alone. And after, you can go. Please."

Dawn shook her head. No way was she going out tonight. But Karen was stubborn.

"I'll do the shopping! And your laundry! Ask whatever you want and I'll do it. Please. Please. Please. "

She kneeled down and waited, imploringly. Dawn understood that she couldn't get rid of her.

"One hour! And you'll so owe me one!"

Karen hugged her before leaving to change her clothes. Dawn stood up and rummaged through her closet. She chose a long beige suede skirt with a black polo neck sweater with black ankle-boots. A quarter of an hour later, both girls were on the streets. Dawn asked:

"Why are we partying?"

"It's Quentin's birthday."

Dawn didn't know who Quentin was. It didn't really matter. She was sure even Karen didn't know who he was. It was just another reason to party. She had surely heard about it from a friend and decided to go. Dawn wondered why she had agreed to go. She was dead on her feet. She had a nagging feeling that she was forgetting something important but she was too tired to think clearly.  
It was when she entered the hall that she realized she was in Weatherly Hall. She stopped. Karen grabbed her arm:

"Come on Dawn!"

The Key felt a cold shiver run through her spine and searched for her cell. She swore when she realized she had left it in her room. That was not good. That wasn't like her at all. Buffy would have had her head if she knew she went out at night without a cell. She asked Karen for hers and texted Sam. Hopefully, she knew his number by heart. She had no trust in modern technology. It had a tendency to let you down when you needed it most.

She gave back the phone to Karen while entering a crowded apartment. The music was too loud for her headache and she grimaced. Karen dragged her along to a table which, right now, was a bar. Then, she handed a drink to Dawn and said:

"Take that. You'll feel better after."

The Slayer's little sister closed her lips and tried her best to not tell her friend what she was really thinking. Then, she searched somewhere  
to sit down before collapsing. When she spotted a lone stool, she made a bee-line to it before someone decided to use it. Karen followed her at a more sedate pace, studying the crowd. She told her the last gossip she heard. Dawn wasn't really listening to her, hoping to see the Winchesters entering because she had a really bad feeling.

Fifteen minutes later, she was alone on her stool. Karen was on the dance floor, flirting with a complete stranger. Dawn's headache was getting worse. She was sure she had a fever. God, coming here was really not a good idea. A student was sitting beside her and was talking to her. She couldn't tell what the subject was but he didn't seem to mind. Finally deciding she had had enough, she stood up.  
She cleared a path through the crowd and told Karen she was leaving. Her only answer was a nod. She fetched her coat and her bag and tried to reach the door. Which was not easy with the crowd. When she reached the doorstep, a shiver run through her spine and she stopped. There was a little mirror next to the door and she looked at it. Interlaced with her own reflection was the one of a young and tall brunette. She just had the time to mentally swear before all went black.

¤

Dean parked the Impala in front of the building and left the car, followed quickly by Sam. The young one opened the text Dawn had sent him nearly forty-five minutes earlier and both brothers nearly run to the apartment. Sam hadn't seen the text right away. When he had, he had nearly panicked. He had found his brother sitting in a bar, flirting with one of the patrons. As soon as he heard of the text, Dean had thrown a few bills on the bar and they left, breaking several laws on the road. They had to find Dawn quickly.

The apartment was crowded and Dean wondered briefly how so many people could stay into this little room without consuming all the oxygen. They quickly decided to stay together. Dean swore about his little size and asked Sam:

"Do you see her?"

Thankfully, the Sam was almost a head taller than everyone. He looked around for the Dawn.

"No. But there's one of her roommates."

They cleared a path right up to the Afro-American. She didn't see them coming so Sam grabbed her shoulder. When she recognized them,  
a wide smile spread on her lips:

"Hi hotties!"

"Where's Dawn?"

They had to scream to be heard. Karen leaned on Sam and he was invaded by the smell of perfume and alcohol. When Karen said that Dawn left twenty minutes ago, Sam turned pale. He grabbed his brother and dragged him out of the apartment. When he was able to talk without screaming, he said:

"She left twenty minutes ago."

"Damn it!"

Both Winchester sprinted to Mason Hall and took the stairs three at a time. They arrived at the door, out of breath. Dean knocked but there was no answer, not even a sound inside. Without hesitation, he broke down the door. The lights were on and they opened all the doors until they found a locked one. Sam was already dialing 911 when Dean burst into the room. He took Dawn out of the bathtub and laid her down on the floor. He began CPR right away, joined by Sam who did the heart massage. Neither bothered to cover the naked girl. All that mattered was keeping her alive. They were trying to ignore the blue lips and the pale and cold skin or the silent heart and the  
absence of breath. This couldn't be happening. No, she couldn't die!

Paramedics entered the room and move them away. They refused to let Dawn out of their sight. They watched as the paramedics as they gave her CPR, again and again. And with each one, the guilt was more and more unbearable. It was their fault. They shouldn't have agreed to this plan and they shouldn't have let her alone. If they had seen the text a few minutes earlier…

Suddenly, bips raised in the room while a paramedic rolled Dawn on her side as she threw up water. They put an oxygen mask on and laid her on a stretcher. The Winchester felt their heart starting beating at a more normal rate. One of the paramedics came up to them:

"We got back a pulse and now we're taking her to the hospital."

"She's going to be fine?"

"We don't know how long she has been deprived of oxygen. We have to wait for the result of the exams. Does she have any family?"

"One sister, in Cleveland. We could contact her."

"That would be good."

Sam found a piece of paper and wrote a note for Dawn's roommates. Dean went to the girl's room and took the file on the ghosts and her cell before joining his brother.

"What are you planning on telling her sister?" Sam asked.

"Nothing yet."

"Dean,…"

"Dawn is still alive. If she was right, there's a chance that Emily's ghost is around. So, we go on and try to help her."

In the Impala, he quickly read Dawn's notes and got an idea. He left Sam in front of the hospital, giving him Dawn's stuff and didn't wait a  
second before leaving. Sam watched him. He put Dawn cell's phone in his pocket and entered the building. At the reception desk, he asked where Dawn had been taken. Half an hour later, he was in her room. Nurses were getting her set up. With them, a doctor was giving orders. When he saw Sam, he asked:

"Are you family?"

"Friends. Her family lives in Cleveland, we're trying to reach them. How is she?"

"I can't say much before her results come back. She was lucky you found her so soon."

"I hope."

And he was alone in the room. He grabbed a chair and made himself comfortable near the bed. It was going to be a long night. He wondered where is brother rushed off to. He jumped when the Animaniacs filled the air and he took Dawn's cell. He checked the ID and groaned. Buffy. She couldn't have chosen a better time. He waited until the call was transferred to voice mail and turned off the cell. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to call her back to announce her little sister was dead and above all that they hadn't called her right away and waited until it was too late. Wherever Dean was, he hoped his idea was good.


	10. Chapter 10

****

A Matter of Choice

Disclaimer : I don't own the BTVS or the Supernatural characters. I'm only borrowing them to have some fun.

Here goes the last chapter of this fic. I would like to thank Gitch who has betaread this story. And a big thank you to you too. This fic was a real challenge for me because I'm French. I've read in English for a long time now, so much that sometimes, I even think in English and it's quite disturbing... I love this language! And one day, I decided: why not write? Ok, without beta, it would be impossible to publish but I found one and here I am. I've even been nominated for the COA in the category Best Unfinished Crossover (but now it's finished). In conclusion, it's a successful challenge!

I stop babbling now. Here goes the last chapter. And if you like to read Buffy crossovers, you have to visit the wonderful site Twisting The Hellmouth (.org/). For those who already know it, don't forget to vote for the CoA!!

Now, I let you at your reading.

Enjoy!

* * *

It was late but Dean didn't care and hammered on the door. He heard noises coming from inside. The door half opened. The man behind was in his early thirties and had seen better days. He was pale and had blood-shot eyes. His clothes were old and deformed and a three day growth was shadowing his jaw.

"Do you know what time is it? What do you want?"

"Are you Teddy Space?"

"Yeah. And you are?"

"Dean Winchester. I know it's late but you need to come with me."

"Of course. Listen buddy,…"

"It's about Helena."

Pain flashed through his eyes.

"She's dead."

"If only it was that simple… Listen, I could explain everything to you right now but you wouldn't believe me and we don't have time. I can say two things: I have information about Helena's death and you could save a life tonight, if you follow me."

There was something in Dean's demeanor that seemed to convince Space because the door was closed and a few seconds later, the man appeared, ready to leave and asked:

"Where are we going?"

"To the hospital. I'll brief you on the way."

¤

Dawn had the impression of floating. Around her, everything was black. The darkness seemed to form a silky sheet which was trapping her. She couldn't move. Thinking was hard. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and fall asleep. Sleeping would be so great. But a nagging little voice, which was oddly like her sister's, was telling her to stay awake, to keep fighting.

She tried hard to remember how she got here. It was so hard! Everything was blurred. There was noise. Loud music and drinks. A party. Karen had dragged her to a party in this building. That was not good. Panic was threatening to overwhelm her when a voice interrupted her.

"I'm sorry."

She opened her eyes to find a young woman in front of her. She was familiar. Tall and dark-haired. She could read sadness and guilt on her face. Why did she seem so familiar?

"Emily?"

"I didn't want them to die."

There was so much distress in her voice that she didn't even think to doubt her.

"I know. I would love to not die too."

Yay me! thought Dawn. If she could joke, the situation wasn't too bad, right?

"I just want to talk to him."

"Talk to whom?"

"He's wrong. He thinks everything is his fault and it's not. He's wasting his life."

She tried to understand what she was saying. Who could think he was responsible for her death? She focused hard, searching in her memories what she had read about Emily and her suicide. It happened at a party. Her boyfriend was with her. They had had a fight, just before her death. Could he be possible that he felt responsible for Emily's death?

Something attracted Emily's attention. She looked over her shoulder, seeing something only she could see. She smiled and whispered:

"He's here."

¤

Sam was pacing the room, nervous and edgy. He hated doing nothing. Dawn hadn't regained consciousness. The doctors couldn't explain it. Her results came back normal. They said that her body was exhausted but Sam knew better. So he couldn't help but sigh in relief when his brother got in the room, a stranger in tow. He frowned and asked:

"Dean, who's that?"

"If we're lucky, the end to all this nightmare."

The stranger hadn't move, staying on the doorstep. He seemed insecure and uncertain, on the verge of running away.

"That's crazy. You really think that this girl is possessed?"

Dean grimaced:

"I know, dude. That could sound weird," he flinched when he saw Teddy's incredulous look. "Ok, that sounds completely weird. But…"

"Teddy?"

They turned back in once, eyes darting at the bed. At the same time, the lights and the electronic devices flickered before going down. Dawn, her eyes still closed, turned her head towards Teddy. The man seemed ready to run away, or collapse. He took a step back but Dean grabbed him and pushed him towards the bed. It wasn't the time to chicken out.

"Teddy, is that you?"

The voice that was leaving Dawn's mouth wasn't hers. It was deeper and it had a slight accent. It was creepy.

"Emily?" Teddy tried.

Dawn smiled. It was a smile full of relief, and sadness, and kindness. It was heartbreaking. How many feelings could be expressed in one little smile?

"I've tried to talk to you for so long."

Teddy finally collapsed on the chair Sam had occupied earlier. Behind, the Winchesters exchanged an incredulous look. Dawn had been right from the beginning. The ghost wasn't holding onto a corpse but onto her message. That was unbelievable.

"I'm so sorry Teddy," Emily was going on.

Her boyfriend took her hand and didn't seem to realize that tears were running down his cheeks.

"Why Emily? Why did you do it?"

"I didn't do anything. I didn't want to die."

Her voice was a murmur now. A soft whisper, hardly heard. Sam and Dean felt like voyeurs. They were afraid to move or even to breath, fearing that it could stop whatever was happening. Emily continued on her confession:

"I was so tired. I took a bath. But I had forgotten that I took sleeping pills. I fall asleep in the bath. I didn't want to. I didn't want to die. It's not your fault Teddy."

For the past seven years, Emily had watched the man she loved losing his battle against guilt, slowly wasting his life. He was convinced that Emily killed herself because of him, of their fight. He thought that this had been too much for her. But she hadn't wanted to die. Her death was an accident, not a suicide. She had tried to say that to him. Sad, she hadn't succeeded and she had found herself living her death, again and again. She caressed Teddy's cheek, wiping away his tears.

"I love you so much. But it's time for me to leave and for you to live your life. Don't be sad. Live, for me."

Her lover leaned towards her and kissed her. Relief washed over him now that she knew that she didn't kill herself. She wasn't coming back. She was going to somewhere else, some heaven somewhere, out there. He whispered against her lips:

"I love you Emily."

He moved away. Dawn's hand fell softy on the mattress. Devices turned on at once and the three men stared at the flat line on the screen. Nurses and doctors rushed in the room, asking them to leave.

In the corridor, Teddy sat up on the floor, looking lost. He will need time to really understand and accept what had just happened. The  
Winchester's eyes were fixed on the closed door, afraid of what was happening behind. Emily had left. There would be no more deaths. And Dawn couldn't be the last one to die.

Minutes seemed like hours before the door opened again and a doctor got out with a relieved smile on his face. Both hunters had never been so happy to see one.

"Her heart started again. I don't know what happened. We're going to keep her tonight and we will do more tests but I think she's going to be alright. She's conscious and asking for you. Make it quick. She's tired and needs to rest.

They thanked him. Teddy decided to leave. He was going to take a cab. He asked them to thank Dawn and they just nodded. They watched  
him go before entering. Dawn was pale and had big bags under her eyes. She tried to smile but failed.

"Hi!"

Her voice was a hoarse whisper. They moved closer to her.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked, conscious of the idiocy of his question.

"I have been better." She paused. "She left."

"You were right," Dean said.

"I'm always right."

They couldn't help but smile. She was fighting against sleep. They saw it and decided to let her rest. They left without being sure she had heard them. They left the hospital and came back to the motel. They were tired and let themselves fall on their beds.

"We have to write this case in Dad's journal," Dean said.

"Tomorrow."

They decided to sleep. This hunt had been eventful, weird and enlightening. The next day, they would go to see Dawn before hitting the road again. Neither of them confessed that they would like to stay a few days and learn a bit more about the young woman who just escaped death. They wouldn't forget her soon.

¤

Dawn was signing her release papers when the Winchesters arrived. She waved at them and handed back her file to the nurse. Then, she headed for her saviors. Without hesitation, she hugged them.

"Thanks for everything guys!"

"That was a closed call, you know," Sam said.

"Yeah, I know."

They walked to the Impala, talking and joking. She sat in the back of the car. Sam handed her her cell, explaining to her why he had turned it off. She turned it on and sighed when she saw all the missed calls. Dean saw her expression on the rear view.

"That bad?"

"Even worse. It will take me hours to calm them down."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"I'll find something. But it won't be the truth."

When they arrived at her apartment, her roommates surrounded her. She explained that she was sick and tired and fell asleep in her bath, nothing more. Dean and Sam were invited to breakfast. The conversation was light and friendly. The girls left around eleven and Dawn found herself alone with the Winchesters.

"When do you leave?"

"Tonight", answered Dean. "We have to clear our room at the motel before. Demons don't wait."

"I know."

Dawn wasn't feeling really well. This little adventure proved to her that as hard as she could look the other way, supernatural continued to exist. People were killed. She was wondering if she had done the right thing. Could she continue to lie to herself and live this normal life? Could she continue to pretend that she didn't know what was going on at night? She confessed her doubts to the hunters. Sam was the one to answer:

"We chose our life. If you want, you could go on with your life as it is now. The question is: will you be able to look in the mirror after?"  
She groaned. That was the problem. Will she be able to? She shrugged:

"I thought it was what I wanted. Now, I don't know anymore."

¤

Sam and Dean left at the end of the afternoon. Dawn watched their car disappeared and went back to her room. She took her cell and dialed her sister's number. Buffy picked up at the first ring.

"Dawn? What happened? Why didn't you answer last night? Are you alright?"

In the background, Dawn heard Willow's voice asking who was on the phone. When Buffy said it was her, she heard the witch yelling. Soon, she heard Xander's, Faith's and Giles' voices. The Slayer told them to shut up.

"So, Dawn?"

"I was at the hospital."

"Oh my! What happened?"

The Key explained to her sister that she was sick and tired and that she fell asleep in her bath. One of her roommates had found her in time. She reassured Buffy and all the Scoobies but it took her more than an hour to do it. She didn't tell them about the deaths or the ghost or the Winchesters. And she didn't tell them that she was suddenly doubting her choices. Could she really live a normal life? Now, she had to think and find what she really wanted for her future.

¤

Dean took the Impala into a national road and hit the gas. Beside him, Sam was reading their Dad's journal for the umpteenth time. Dean thought of Dawn and smiled. Something was telling him that she wouldn't stay at the university. Maybe they would see each other in the future… Who knows?

¤ ¤ The End ¤ ¤


End file.
